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Sikhs In Turbans Are Racially Profiled, But White People In Turbans Is Pioneering Fashion

At Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, Gucci’s show looked like an alien takeover with people carrying what looked like baby dragons and severed heads, donning burkhas, babushka headscarves and turbans.

The turban bit didn’t go down well with the audience, and the luxury brand has been heavily criticised after they sent white models down the runway wearing traditional Sikh turbans. Canadian actor and model Avan Jogia began the backlash be tweeting:


Following this, thousands have tweeted about their disappointment that the brand had used the Sikh religious symbol as a ‘fashion’ statement. It isn’t that hard to educate yourself on the significance of a religious symbol, Gucci. Even if you don’t want to, here’s a basic heads up: No religious symbol can be used as a mere fashion accessory! This isn’t making a statement, it’s appropriation.

Post 9/11, Sikhs have been victims of horrific hate crimes. The first victim of a hate crime post 9/11 was a sikh man called Balbir Singh Sodhi who was gunned down by a man who wanted to “kill towel-heads”. 15 years later, Manhattan resident Prabhjot Singh was called a ‘terrorist’ and punched because he had a beard and a turban.

Understand the history of the symbol, the prejudice that Sikhs have, and maybe you’ll begin to realize how blinded you are by your own privilege that you can’t even comprehend why this is a problem. Sikhs have been harassed and verbally abused for wearing turbans. They’ve been racially profiled and discriminated against. You can’t just get white people to strut around it a turban and call it vogue. No.

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